To enhance the reading experience, various systems have been proposed in which audio soundtracks relating to the content of text, such as an e-book, are produced and played to the user while they read the text. Some of these systems aim to synchronise the playback of the soundtrack with the user's reading speed.
One such system is described in the applicant's co-pending international PCT patent application publication WO2013/015694, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In this system, a soundtrack for electronic text, such as an e-book, is produced that comprises audio tracks of different types that are configured to play concurrently and/or sequentially while the user is reading the electronic text. Playback of the soundtrack is synchronised with the reading speed of the user. The soundtrack may comprise a combination of different audio types, including ambient noise, sound effects, and background music that are configured to playback at a specific point or over specific portions of the electronic text in a synchronised manner as the user is reading those portions of the electronic text. The soundtrack in WO2013/015694 comprises multiple audio regions that are designated to playback during designated text portions of the electronic text. Each audio region comprises audio data defining the audio track to playback, the start position in the electronic text at which the audio region is to commence playback, and a stop position in the electronic text at which the audio region is to cease playback. In one embodiment described, the electronic text is indexed based on the number of words and the start and stop positions of the audio regions relate to a start and stop word.
WO2013/015694 describes various user playback systems for displaying the electronic text and controlling playback of the associated soundtrack. The user playback system may be implemented on various user hardware devices, including portable consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and dedicated e-reader devices or personal computers, whether desktop or laptop. The soundtrack data file or files, including all the audio tracks, are entirely downloaded in advance and stored locally on the user device before playback can commence. In some embodiments, the soundtrack and audio track files are combined with the electronic text file as a single multimedia data file for download and playback. The user playback system processes the locally stored downloaded file or files and co-ordinates playback of the audio in accordance with a reading position counter that estimates the user's reading position in the electronic text. This user playback system configuration utilizes heavy processing and memory resources of the hardware device to deliver the synchronised soundtrack. In particular, the soundtrack data file and audio track files may be very large in size and can occupy a significant amount of the local storage on the hardware device, and this limits the user's ability to store a library of soundtracks for their e-books. The downloading of these large files onto devices, especially mobile devices, can also be costly if being downloaded over a user's mobile or other subscribed data connection. Additionally the user playback system uses processing resources to both determine the current reading position and then retrieve and coordinate playback of the audio track file in a synchronised manner.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved system for the delivery of synchronised soundtracks for electronic media content, or at least provide the public with a useful choice.